LONG BEACH - Nurses at Community Hospital Long Beach voted Friday to join the California Nurses Association, the union announced.

About 76 percent of Community Hospital's 200 registered nurses voted in favor of joining CNA, which also represents RNs at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Miller Children's Hospital and St. Mary Medical Center.

In a secret ballot election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board, the hospital's registered nurses voted 94 to 30 to join CNA, according to the union.

"I am so glad we were successful at joining CNA," RN Gerardine Ramos-Monton said in a statement. "We built our organization in just a few weeks because we are more united than ever by our deep concern for improving patient care practices at our hospital."

With Community, CNA represents roughly 2,700 registered nurses at the major Long Beach hospitals, said CNA spokesman David Johnson.

"It's a great day not only for nurses in Long Beach, but for the patients of Long Beach," Johnson said.

Now, nurses at Community will elect a team to represent them in negotiations for their first contract in the near future, Johnson said.